Motor Vehicle Chassis Raised Floor Battery Housing
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to design a motor vehicle chassis that accommodates a larger energy storage tank volume for electric or hybrid vehicles while allowing for the production of both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles using shared components and methods, without increasing development and production costs, and ensuring compatibility with both three-door and five-door vehicle designs.
Innovation Solution
The chassis features U-shaped longitudinal members with lateral floor reinforcements and a rear central crossmember, incorporating raised floor areas that serve as both seat and energy storage tank housings, utilizing lateral raiser parts to maintain the same assembly process and welding lines as conventional vehicles, allowing for the reuse of components and production lines for both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If lateral raiser supports are fixed to the lateral side portions of the bodywork, then the floor can be raised to create battery housing volume, but the structure becomes incompatible with three-door vehicles and requires separate welding lines for different vehicle types
Solution Approach 1:
The floor structure is divided into modular components: lateral floor reinforcements, transverse reinforcement, and raiser plates. These segmented elements can be independently assembled and configured, allowing the same basic structure to adapt to different vehicle types (three-door or five-door) by simply adjusting which components are installed, rather than requiring completely different welding lines.
Solution Approach 2:
The lateral floor reinforcements and transverse reinforcement are designed as universal components that serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, create mounting surfaces for raiser plates, and form the base for both passenger floors and battery housings. This multi-functional design allows the same components to be used across different vehicle configurations, eliminating the need for separate welding lines.
2Manufacturing precision
If separate welding lines are used for electric vehicles and internal combustion engine vehicles, then each vehicle type can have optimized floor geometry, but development and production costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The welding line is designed to accommodate both vehicle types using the same sequence and components. The lateral floor reinforcements and transverse reinforcement serve as universal mounting surfaces that work for both ICE and EV configurations. By making the welding process universal rather than type-specific, the patent maintains manufacturing precision for both vehicle types while significantly reducing production costs through economies of scale and simplified production planning.
Solution Approach 2:
The floor structure incorporates adjustable and configurable elements (raiser plates of different heights, optional transverse reinforcements) that can be dynamically adapted during assembly based on the specific vehicle type being produced. This dynamic configurability allows a single welding line to produce optimized floors for both ICE and EV vehicles without requiring separate dedicated lines.
3Volume of moving object
If the floor is raised to accommodate large battery volume, then energy storage capacity increases, but the seat height may need to be increased affecting vehicle ergonomics
Solution Approach 1:
The floor is raised only in specific localized areas where battery housing is required, rather than raising the entire floor uniformly. The raiser plates are positioned strategically to create battery compartments only where needed, while maintaining lower floor levels in passenger areas to preserve ergonomic seat heights. This localized approach allows maximum battery volume in constrained spaces without compromising passenger comfort or requiring increased seat heights.
Data Source
AI summary
A motor vehicle chassis includes two side rail members covered at the front by two lateral floor reinforcements, a rear central cross member and a transverse reinforcement which is welded to the two lateral floor reinforcements, and a floor having a seat-cushion support part. The chassis further includes a rear raiser welded to the rear central cross member and two lateral raisers welded respectively to each of the two lateral floor reinforcements. The seat-cushion support part of the floor is welded to the two lateral raisers, to the rear raiser and to the transverse reinforcement, so as to create a space for an energy reservoir under the seat-cushion support part of the floor.